Hose winding and storing assembly

ABSTRACT

An assembly comprising a reel rotatably received in a housing adapted to pass a hose inwardly and outwardly thereof to wind upon, and unwind from the reel, with a hose guide to guide the hose upon the reel in uniformly successive windings or coils, a restraint to yieldably resist dislodgment of said windings, and conduit means to maintain rigidity of the housing and conduct water to a hose.

States Patent [72] Inventor Mgrdich G. Atanosian 5887 Pine, Taylor, Mich. 48180 [21 Appl. No. 823,703

[22] Filed May 12, 1969 [45] Patented Apr. 27, 1971 [54] HOSE WINDING AND STORWG ASSEMBLY 5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl l37/355.26 [51] Int. Cl B65h 75/00, B65h 79/00 [50] Field ofSearch ..137/355.26, 355.21, 355.22, 355.2

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,039,250 4/1936 Junge 137/355.26X 2,071,731 2/1937 Craig et a1. 137/355.26

2,301,208 11/1942 Gear 137/355.2X 2,595,655 5/1952 Hannay 137/355.2X 2,631,063 3/1953 Jensen 137/3552 2,696,406 12/1954 Myers 137/355.26

2,805,100 9/1957 Shaver 137/355.26

' 3,175,574 3/1965 Morford 137/355.26

3,433,247 3/1969 Haselden l37/355.26 3,457,946 7/1969 Dean Jr., et a] 137/35526 Primary Examiner-Samuel Scott Attorney-Allan J. Murray ABSTRACT: An assembly comprising a reel rotatably received in a housing adapted to pass a hose inwardly and outwardly thereof to wind upon, and unwind from the reel, with a hose guide to guide the hose upon the reel in uniformly successive windings or coils, a restraint to yieldably resist dislodgment of said windings, and conduit means to maintain rigidity of the housing and conduct water to a hose.

PATENTEB m2? I97! 3,576,196

sum 1 BF 2 INVENTOR MGRDICH G A'II'ANO SIAN ATTORNEY PATENTED APR27|97| 3.576; 196

MGRDICH G- ATANOSIAN ATTORNEY SHEET 2 BF 2 FIG? 4; q 46 INVENTOR IIOSE WINDING AND STORING ASSEMBLY CROSS-REFERENCES An application for design patent was mailed to the Patent Office on Apr. 16, I969, and a filing date and serial number have not yet been received thereon.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART There accompanies the application a listing of patents discovered in the course of a preexamination search.

SUMMARY AND OBJECT OF THE INVENTION Invention resides in the unique drive from the reel to the traversing shaft, as well as in the unique conduit assembly provided to both support the reel and conduct water to a hose wound upon the reel, and the further provision of the aforesaid restraining means to resist dislodgement of the uniform coils of hose present upon the reel regardless of the number of such coils, with the object of affording through said elements, an efficient means of completely or partially storing a garden hose while providing for conduct of water through said hose without regard to the length of said hose which may be wound upon the reel at any time.

The object of the invention is attained by the construction as described hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the assembly.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device on the line 2-2 of FIG. I.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the device on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a vertical, sectional view on line 4-4 of FIG. ll.

FIG. 5 is a partial, horizontal, sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 2 in somewhat larger scale.

FIG. 6 is a partial, vertical sectional view on line 6-6 of FIG. 5 on somewhat larger scale.

FIG. 7 is a partial, vertical, sectional view on line 7-7 of FIG. I.

In these views, the reference character I designates the assembly generally. The assembly includes an annular housing 2, formed with its margnal end portions return bent to form an upper bead 3 and a lower bead 4. Annular corrugations 5 strengthen the wall of the housing to resist collapse or distortion thereof.

A reel 6 is received in the housing said reel comprising a lower end member 7 and an upper end member 8 rigidly interconnected by rods 10 in spaced, substantially parallel relationship. Screws 11 or the like may be used to retain the reel components in an assembled state.

As is best seen in FIG. 4, an elbow joint 12 is secured concentrically in the lower end member 7 of the reel 6 to serve as a water conduit. The end portion 13 of said elbow joint projecting above said lower member would in practice be adapted to receive a hose connection.

An elonpted opening 14 is formed in the housing to pass a garden hose into and out of the housing to be wound upon and unwound from the reel 6. It should be observed that the plurality of rods 10 function as a drum upon which the hose is wound. Rigidly secured to the housing near each end of said opening are aligned substantially parallel flanges 15. A transversing shaft 16 is rotatively carried by said flanges, and effects, by means of a thread 17, the reciprocable travel longitudinally of said shaft of a hose guide unit 18.

Said hose guide unit includes a sleeve 19, concentrically received upon said transversing shafi for travel thereon. A lug 20 is elongated the full length of the sleeve 19 and is apertured to receive the free end portions of the legs 21 of a wire frame. Set screws 22 resist withdrawal of the legs from said lug. A

guide screws 23 extends through the sleeve to engage in the thread of the transversing shaft and draw the guide unit longitudinally along said transversing shaft as the reel is rotated by a drive means hereinafter explained.

Shafts 24 and 25 are formed with openings to slidably receive the legs 21. To facilitate passage of a hose into and out of the housing rollers 26 and 27 are rotatably mounted on said respective shafts. To resist backlash or other undesired movement of a hose into and out of the housing, springs 28 are secured to the end portions of said shafts l4 and 25 to yieldably urge the rollers toward each other to yieldably engage the hose passing between said nollers.

A tubular guide post 29 is secured to and extends between said flanges 15 and is formed with a slot 30 which slideably received the closed end portion 31 of the wire frame to resist rotation of the hose guide unit 18 about the traversing shaft, and to direct said unit in said reciprocable travel. Said tubular guide post may have its lower end portion extended as at 32 to be received in a socket (not shown), which it is proposed to imbed in the ground, to maintain a desired relationship of the above discussed assembly to a domestic hydrant or the like.

A spider 33 is received in the lower end portion of the housing, and as shown in FIG. 4, is surmounted by the lower member 7 of the reel 6. The spider is formed with two supporting arms 34, terminally integrally formed with tabs 35 which are received in holes formed in the wall of the housing. A third arm 36 of the spider is formed with a conduit 37, and has an outer end portion 38 projecting through the wall of the housing. It is contemplated that such end portion would be adapted to receive a hose connection.

Each of the three arms of said spider receives on its upper side an antifriction device 39, which may be a ball bearing. It is to be noted that on the supporting arms bosses 34 and 40 are integrally formed to receive said antifriction means. The lower end member 7 of the reel 6 is formed with a plurality of strengthening annular corrugations 41 disposed concentrically with respect to the reel as well as with respect to the hub 42 of the spider. One of said corrugations may additionally serve as a race to ride upon the antifriction means. The spider, then, serves four purposes: one, it provides a conduit for water; two, it reinforces the lowerportion of the housing against collapse; three, it supports the reel on said ball bearing 39; and four, it supports the assembly in a slightly elevated position above the ground to minimize rusting of the construction. In this last purpose, the extended portion 32 of the guide post, being inserted in the aforementioned socket imbedded in the ground, cooperates with the spider to resist tipping of the assembly upon the supporting hub 42.

A drive is applied from the upper end member 8 of the reel 6 to the traversing shaft by means of studs 43. Said studs are located, preferably at equally spaced intervals, on the aforesaid arcuately formed annular marginal portion 9 of said upper end member. The studs engage with spokes 45 projecting substantially radially from the upper end portion 46 of the traversing shaft 16. The studs as illustrated in FIG. 1 are four in number, as are the spokes 45, so that with each quarter revolution of the reel, the studs drive the spokes of said traversing shaft to effect a quarter revolution of the shaft which effects a predetermined travel of the hose guide unit on said traversing shaft. Thus, as the hose is wound onto the reel drum formed by the rods 10, the windings thereof are deposited in uniformly successive coils.

To maintain the uniform arrangement of said coils, it is desirable to have a restraint 47 for said hose windings. Said restraint includes upper and lower arms 48 as is best seen in FIG. 4. Said arms may be formed of a heavy wire or rod and have their free ends return bent to form a loop 49 to receive and loosely journal the reduced end portions 55 of a roller 54. Lugs 52 are rigidly secured to the interior surface of the drum, and are apertured to pivotally receive pivot portions 50 of said arms 48. Springs 53 have clip portions 56 which are clipped upon the pivot portions 50 at reduced diameters 51 of said portions. Said springs thus perform the dual function of resisting withdrawal of the pivot portions form the lugs 52, and urging the arms 48 and roller 54 toward the windings of hose.

lclaim:

1. An assembly for winding and storing hose, including:

a reel, having an upper end member and a lower end member; drum means joining said members in spaced relationship;

a housing adapted to receive said reel for rotation therein;

a traversing shaft rotatably secured to said housing;

hose guide means received on said shaft for reciprocable travel longitudinally thereon, responsive to rotation thereof, to apply a hose to said drum in uniformly successive windings;

a predetermined plurality of studs projecting rigidly from said upper end member; and

a predetennined plurality of spokes elongated substantially radially from the traversing shaft to be respectively engaged by respective studs responsive to rotation of the drum.

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1:

said drive means being one or more studs projecting rigidly from said outer end member;

said driven means being one or more spokes elongated substantially radially from the traversing shaft to be engaged by a stud responsive to rotation of the drum.

3. In an assembly as set forth in claim 3:

a first conduit means carried by the reel and adapted to receive a hose connection;

a spider positioned in the lower end portion of said housing,

said spider having one or more legs;

a second conduit incorporated in one leg of said spider; and

said one leg having an end portion adapted to receive a hose connection.

4. In an assembly as set forth in claim 3:

the legs of said spider having upper and lower faces;

a concave indent formed in the upper surface of each leg said indents being disposed equally outwardly, radially from the axis of reel rotation; I

a ball bearing having a lower portion revolvably received in each respective indent;

said lower end member of said reel being formed with at least one annular corrugation to add rigidity to said lower end member, and to receive the upper portion of said ball bearing for rotation of the reel thereon.

5. In an assembly as set forth in claim 4:

one or more lugs rigidly secured to the interior surface of the housing;

a roller elongated approximately parallel to the axis of rotation of said drum;

' a pair of arms having pivotal end portions received in said one or more lugs, and having free end portions adapted to journal the end portions of said roller; and

resiliently yieldable elements secured to said arms, to urge said arms in pivotal travel in said lugs to cause said roller to bear against one or more convolutions of hose wound upon said reel to resist dislodgement of such convolutions. 

1. An assembly for winding and storing hose, including: a reel, having an upper end member and a lower end member; drum means joining said members in spaced relationship; a housing adapted to receive said reel for rotation therein; a traversing shaft rotatably secured to said housing; hose guide means received on said shaft for reciprocable travel longitudinally thereon, responsive to rotation thereof, to apply a hose to said drum in uniformly successive windings; a predetermined plurality of studs projecting rigidly from said upper end member; and a predetermined plurality of spokes elongated substantially radially from the traversing shaft to be respectively engaged by respective studs responsive to rotation of the drum.
 2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1: said drive means being one or more studs projecting rigidly from said outer end member; said driven means being one or more spokes elongated substantially radially from the traversing shaft to be engaged by a stud responsive to rotation of the drum.
 3. In an assembly as set forth in claim 1: a first conduit means carried by the reel and adapted to receive a hose connection; a spider positioned in the lower end portion of said housing, said spider having one or more legs; a second conduit incorporated in one leg of said spider; and said one leg having an end portion adapted to receive a hose connection.
 4. In an assembly as set forth in claim 3: the legs of said spider having upper and lower faces; a concave indent formed in the upper surface of each leg said indents being disposed equally outwardly, radially from the axis of reel rotation; a ball bearing having a lower portion revolvably received in each respective indent; said lower end member of said reel being formed with at least one annular corrugation to add rigidity to said lower end member, and to receive the upper portion of said ball bearing for rotation of the reel thereon.
 5. In an assembly as set forth in claim 4: one or more lugs rigidly secured to the interior surface of the housing; a roller elongated approximately parallel to the axis of rotation of said drum; a pair of arms having pivotal end portions received in said one or more lugs, and having free end portions adapted to journal the end portions of said roller; and resiliently yieldable elements secured to said arms, to urge said arms in pivotal travel in said lugs to cause said roller to bear against one or more convolutions of hose wound upon said reel to resist dislodgement of such convolutions. 